Obituary of Rebecca Tiangco

Rebecca Tiangco (Nee Ruiz), 64 years old, died on May 19, 2016 after a sudden and unexpected illness. Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Chicago, she returned to NY in her youth and made it her home. A resident of Ridgewood, Queens for 18 years, she worked for a graphics company for ten years prior to retiring. She is survived by her daughter, Tanya Tiangco-Estrada and son-in-law Francisco Estrada; son Olan Tiangco and daughter-in-law Judy and son LeMarr Leggins; grandmother to Gabriel and Amanda; sister to Monsie, Cynthia, Carmen and Jimmy; daughter to Conchita Ruiz; aunt to Jillian, Louie, Peter, Brian, Michelle, Andre, Theresa, Jennifer and Brittany. Her husband Joseph Leggins; father, Ismael Ruiz and her brother, Raymond Ruiz, preceded her in death. She was a Christian in faith and an active member of Christ Tabernacle Church in Glendale. She lived and walked in Christ. She served in Evangelist outreach, fed the homeless and helped families affected by fires. She greeted and seated guests during worship services and was a member of the Women’s Life Group Ministry; a sisterhood of women who shared life experiences and prayed together. A loving and always present grandmother to Gabriel and Amanda, it gave her great joy to show them the simple, beautiful things like smelling a flower or watching a colorful bird. Without exception, she attended every school event and birthday. “Gamma Becca” would spend hours playing games and doing arts and crafts with them. She prayed with them and taught them about Jesus and heaven. As she wrote in a card to her daughter one week before her passing, “Thank you for the wonderful time on Mother’s Day with the kids as a family. It made me feel happy”. Among her many talents, such as singing and art, she had a special passion and love for mother earth. She loved horses, camping and everything outdoors. She spent many weekends at her daughter’s home in North Bergen County, NJ where she would take the children to its beautiful parks. During the morning, she would sit on the back porch, commenting that smelling the fresh air and seeing the morning dew on the pine trees bought her life. She was a trained florist and was known for her ability to “bring any ailing plant back to life”. Always active, she was an avid cyclist who would bike across the boroughs in NYC. She was a survivor and a warrior. When presented with limitations, she could accomplish anything. As a friend and sister, she was kind, supportive and sensitive to those in need. We say, “so long for now,” to a kind and generous, loving soul. We will miss her immensely. We know her work continues from above, watching over her loved ones and those whose lives she touched.